Excellent fourth place finish for Jordan and Jackson in Supertwin TT

A busy evening of racing at the Isle of Man TT Races on Tuesday yielded more top-class results for the Jackson Racing powered by Prosper2 team, the highlight being an excellent fourth place for Paul Jordan in the two-lap Supertwin race. Meanwhile, team-mate Josh Brookes chalked up another top ten finish in the Superstock race and more 130mph+ laps.
 
Originally due to get underway at 2pm, weather conditions meant the Supertwin race was pushed back to a 7.45pm start and cut from three laps to two, and although down in ninth at Glen Helen on the first lap, Paul and the Aprilia RS660 gradually moved forward.
 
An opening lap of 119.489mph saw him jump up to fifth, just 1.8s behind fourth placed Rob Hodson and only 0.3s ahead of Dominic Herbertson. It was nip and tuck between all three riders on lap two around the 37 and ¾-mile Mountain Course and although he lapped at 121.032mph, Paul just missed out on the podium, Hodson’s lap of 121.020mph giving him third by 1.757s. Nevertheless, fourth place was another great result for Paul and the team.
 
Earlier in the evening, the RL360 Superstock race took place, also being cut to two laps, which removed the need for a pit stop. An opening lap of 129.859mph, another personal best, meant Paul was the quicker of the two riders, Josh 3.4s slower at 129.429mph.
 
Second time around though, Josh upped his pace considerably, a lap of 130.760mph being his fastest of the event so far. That enabled him to take the ninth-place position at the chequered flag whilst Paul’s pace dropped slightly with 12^th place taken after 75 miles of racing.
 
Paul Jordan: “It was obviously disappointing to have missed out on the podium in the Supertwin race, especially as it was so close, but I was pleased with how I rode. We only got two or three laps on the bike during qualifying, so it took me a while to get going after being out on the Superstock bike before whilst we also changed pretty much everything on the suspension, both front and rear. The speed’s there so hopefully I can gain a position or two in the second race. In the Superstock race, I set another personal best on the first lap but caught a bit of traffic over the Mountain on lap two, which cost me time and a few positions. The 130mph lap’s there though, I know it!”
 
Josh Brookes: “It was good to get another top ten finish in the Superstock race, but it was hard to get into a good rhythm as the morning warm-up, where conditions weren’t good enough to race, gave me a bit of a negative feeling. I was thinking about the damp patches all day but once I got going in the race, when conditions were fine, I was able to put in my best lap of the week. Comparing it to the BMW Superstock bike I rode last year, I’m losing four to five seconds each lap from Ballaugh to Ginger Hall, traditionally the bumpiest part on the course. The Honda’s not quite as planted over the bumps so if we could get a better feeling there, I’d be two or three positions higher up the order. We keep making small tweaks to the bike and getting me more comfortable so we’re continually making progress.”
 
Alan Jackson, Team Owner: “It was a shame Paul didn’t manage to get on the podium, but he hasn’t had a lot of track time on the Supertwin, and it was close all the way with three or four riders battling it out for the final podium position. Overall, we’re happy with the performance of Paul and the Twin though although we would have liked more in the Superstock race. Both riders are continually improving their lap times so it’s frustrating we didn’t get a full qualifying week as we know we would have been a lot further forward and higher up the leaderboard if we had. The improvements we’re making are reflected in the quicker lap times in each race and we’re continually making progress which is obviously positive.”
 
The team are back in action in Wednesday’s second Supersport race, scheduled to run over three laps of the Mountain Course.